Automatic feeding device.



W. G. STAPLES. AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE. E

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1912.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

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WILLARD G. STAPLES, OF NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC FEEDING- DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

Application filed April 8,1812. 7 Serial No. 688,208.

T0 all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that l, lVILLano G. STAPLES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newburyport, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in AutomaticFeeding Devices, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an automatic feeding device and particularlyto a feeding mechanism designed for use in connection with twistingmachines of the type shown and described in an application filed by mein the United States Patent Office, March 15, 1909, Serial Number14-83598. in machines of this character the material to-be twisted isheld under tension and drawn into the machine by the twisting andreeling operations.

The machine described in my application referred to above, comprises a,frame carrying a reel.

tcrial together, the ends of the strands being secured to the reel. Asthe twisting process continues, due to the rotation of the framecarrying the reel, the finished product is wound up upon the reel, meansbeing provided for accomplishing this result, said means being operatedby the rotation of the frame- Heretofore each machine has required theservices of an operator to hold the material under tension, the operatorpermitting the material to be drawn into the whereby the amount oftension to which the material fed into a machine is subjected, may beregulated. 3

Further objects of the invent-ion will be specifically pointed out. andexplained here inafter.

Briefly, my invention consists in providing rotatable means for holdingunder tension one or more strands of the material'fe'd The frame isrotated which ro-j tates the reel and twists the strands of me.-

into a twisting machine, a suitable clutch to hold said rotatable meansagainst rotation, and means operated by the material as it is twistedfor releasing the clutch to permit the material to be fed as required bythe machine.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention,Figure 1 is a side elevation of a feeding device constructed andoperated in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of thesame; Figs. 3 and a are plan views on an enlarged scale showing theoperation of the clutch, Fig. 3 showing the position of the members whenthe clutch is released, and. Fig. a: showing the position when theclutch is in operation, and Fig. 5 is a detail View showing the clutchring and the means for holding it against rotation.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the rotatable meansconsistof a wheel 6, having a grooved perimeter, loosely mounted on ashaft 7 secured in a sleeve 8 supported on a standard 9. The wheel is somounted that it may be forced against the end of the sleeve. ,To preventrotation of the wheel at the proper times any suitable clutch may beprovided and one such mechanism is shown in the drawings and consists ofa clutch ring 10 and a collar 11, both loosely mounted on the shaft 7and held thereon in any adjusted position by a nut 12 on. the end of theshaft. The ring may be moved longitudinally on said shaft toward andfrom the wheel 6 but is held against rotary movement by a pin 33 set inthe shaft which engages an inner corresponding recess let in the ring.(See Fig. The collar is capable of both a rotary and a longitudinalmovement on said shaft. That face of the clutch ring further from thewheel 6 is cut obliquely and the collar is provided with an extension 18also out obliquely to bear againstthe oblique face of the clutch ring.The collar and clutch ring are so adjusted on the shaft that when theoblique bearing faces of both are in contact, the clutch ring is not inengagement with the wheel. This adjustment is illustrated in Fig. 3 andis securedby regulating the position of the nut 12 on the end of theshaft. If the collar is then turned on the shaft the clutch ring ispushed away from the collar and against the wheelfi into the positionshown in Fig. 4:. If the clutch ring be so adjusted that it is but aslight distance from the wheel when in the position shown in Fig. 3,that is, in an inoperative position, then a slight movement only of thecollar is required to throw it into an operative position to hold thewheel against the end of the sleeve 8, to prevent its rotation.

The normal position of the clutch ring is shown in Fig. 4 in which therotatable means held against rotation and in order that the rotatablemeans may be released as material is required in the twisting operation,I provide means whereby the collar is turned to release the clutch ringtemporarily from time to time, said means being operated by the tensionof the material due to the twisting operation. Use form of such means isshown and consists of a cone 15 secured on the end of an arm or lever 16mounted on the collar 11.

In the drawings is shown a portion of a twisting machine; namely astandard 17 supporting in suitable bearings a bored shaft 18 throiiighwhich the material is drawn in the twisting operation. My feeding devicewhen applied to a twisting machine, is so arranged that the tip or apexof the cone is normally near the end of the shaft 18, or contacting thelower portion of it as shown in Fig. 1, and when in this position. thewheel held by the clutch ring as illustrated in Fig. i. To keep the conein an upward position a counterweight 19 is slidably mounted on an arm20 extending radially from the opposite side of the collar and securedin any adjusted position thereon by a set-screw 21.

In the use of my device where two or more strands of material are beingtwisted together, part of the strands are fed on one side and part onthe other side of the cone, the stand or strands on one side being givenone or more turns around the wheel 6. In the drawings the twistingmachine is shown operating upon two strands 22 and 23, the former beingled directly from a reel supported in standards 25 and the latter from areel, 26 mounted on a spindle 27. The strand 23 passes through a guide28, then around the wheel 6 in one or more turns to the twistingmachine.

The operation of the feeding device is as follows. So long as the coneremains in the position shown in 1 the clutch ring is in an operativeposition and holds the wheel 6 against rotation thereby holding thestrand 23 under tension. The operation of the twisting machine thencauses the strands, 22 and 23 for instance, to be gradually twistedtogether and the end of the twist, that is the junction point 30 in Fig.2, moves away from the twisting machine and along the surface of thecone until it reaches a point where the pressure exerted on the cone bythe meeting of the strands at the junction point 30 is sufficient toovercome the force exerted by the veight 19 whereupon the cone isdepressed. The depression of the cone turns the collar and releases theclutch ring permitting the wheel 6 to rotate and the strand is fedforward thereby and as soon as this occurs the end of the twist, thatis, the junction point 30, moves toward the twisting machine and theweight 19 causes the cone to rise and the clutch to stop the rotation ofthe wheel 6. This process is continued automatically and the twistingoperation as it progresses causes the clutch to be temporarily releasedfrom time to time to permit material to be fed as required.

By adjusting the position of the weight 19 the amount of tensionrequired to depress the cone may be regulated and in that way the amountof the twist given to the finished material may be determined. At thesame time, the clutch ring and collar may be adjusted to vary the amountof the movement of the cone necessary to release the clutch ring. Bymeans of these adjustments my device may be adapted to variousconditions both of materials and use.

My invention may be embodied in various other forms of construction thanthat herein illustrated and described without departing therefrom and Idesire to claim it broadly within the scope of the following claims.

l Vhat I claim is 1. A feeding mechanism for twisting machines providedwith intermittently-acting releasing means, comprising a materialsupply, a wheel for holding the material under tension, a frictionclutch preventing said wheel from rotation, a junction point feeler forcontrolling said clutch whereby the wl eel is released and the materialfed forward into the twisting machine.

2. A feeding mechanism for twisting machines provided withintermittently-acting releasing means comprising rotatable means forholding the material to be twisted under tension. a clutch in connectiontherewith normally preventing said rotatable means from rotation andmeans adapted to be acted upon by the twisting material. at the junctionpoint, as it travels back and forth, to release said clutch.

3. A feeding mechanism for twisting machines provided withintermittently-acting releasing means comprising rotatable means forholding the material to be twisted under tension. frictional means forholding said, rotatable means against rotation, and means engaging andcontrolled by the twisting material for releasing said frictional meansto permit said material to be fed into a twisting machine.

4. A feeding mechanism for twisting ma.- chines provided withintermittently-acting releasing means comprising a wheel for holding thematerial under tension, :1 friction clutch to hold said wheel againstrotation and means operated upon by the material at the point ofjunction where the strands of material are twisted together forreleasing said clutch from time to time to permit said material to befed forward by said wheel.

5. A feeding mechanism for twisting machines provided withintermittently-acting releasing means comprising rotatable means forholding the material to be twisted under tension, a friction clutch anda horizontallymoving sleeve in connection with the clutch for holdingsaid rotating means against rotation and means controlled by thedownward pressure of the strands of material twisting together torelease said clutch.

6. A feeding mechanism for twisting machines provided withintermittently-acting releasing means comprising rotatable means forholdin the material under tension a friction clutch and a materialengaging device, said rotatable means being held against rotation by theclutch which is released by the downward movement of the engaging devicedue to the downward pressure exerted by the strands of twistingmaterial.

7. A feeding mechanism for twisting machines provided withintermittently-acting releasing means comprising a wheel for holding thematerial to be twisted under tension, frictional means whereby saidwheel is normally held against rotation but is released for the purposeof feeding the material forward and a cone connected with saidfrictional means, and engaged by the material to release the frictionalmeans when the junction of the twisting strands of said material havereached a certain predetermined point.

8. A feeding mechanism for twisting machines provided withintermittently acting releasing means comprising rotatable means forholding the material to be twisted under tension, a clutch, means fornormally holding it in operative engagement with said rotatable means toprevent rotation of the same and a cone mounted on said clutch andadapted to be depressed when the tension of the material reaches apredetermined point in order to release temporarily said clutch topermit the material to be drawn forward.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses, this the 3d day of April, 1912.

WILLARD G. STAPLES.

E. F. UNIAC.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C.

